MELBOURNE GOSSIP.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 2778, 3 May 1890, Page 6 (Supplement)

MELBOURNE GOSSIP.

(t'ROJI OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.

iVIHLitouUN f, March 17. A CONSIDERABLE amount of disatisfacrion Vas arifen amongst, architects in Melbourne over the competitive designs for tho new premises a hunt to be erected for the Commercial Bank. Nr.arly a year afro designs were called for, and, as the premises are to be both large and costly, a largo number of architects went in for tho priz>\ One of the CflndiHons of competition was that no drawiuif was to be " shaded"—that is, all the details of tho elevation were to be given in "outline'' only. A person need not be an export draughtsman to be awnro how much more " attractive" a heavily shaded drawing book when compared with an outline drawing. An architect, or an artist, would not be misled by any amount of shading ; he would be guided by a critical comparison of details. But the directors of the Commercial Bmk presumably are neither artists nor architect!', and the last that one of the competitors did, against their express stipulation, send in a heavily shaded design, coupled with the fact that they have selected that design, has caused the dissatisfaction above referred to. And this will be easily understood. The working out and tho drawing of a firstclass Melbourne Bank means labour, and a good deal of it, of the highest order. And if a man enters upon a task of that kind, adheres to the conditions laid down, and then finds that preference has been given to the work of a man who has not complied with these conditions, but has called to his assistance the aids of prohibited ornamentation instead, he naturally feels very sore about it, and may be pardoned if he thinks he has been cheated. This, in plain language, is how architects f>.el towards the Commercial Bank people. A London telegram in the Argus this morning makes out the Kins: of Portugal to be an idiot. It states that a number of students—raw lads probably—have asked the King to withdraw the exequatur of the British Consul at Oporto, and that His Majesty hns promised to do so. As the said Consul's crime consists in having protected British residents from injury and insult, which is one of the first duties of his office, the withdrawal of his exequatur would be a gross insult to the British flag, under the circumstances, and the King of Portugal would think twice before doing any such thing. For these reasons I am inclined to think that the Argus telegram has been bungled either in the transmission or receipt.

The London Statist thinks it rather cheeky of Victoria to ask Englishmen for a loan of £4,000,000 when Victorian people discourage the emigration of Englishmen to this colony. The Statist is right.

The fact that the author of " Robbery Under Arms " has from the footlights of the Alexandra Theatre complimented Mr Alfred Dampier and Mr Garnet Walch upon the dramatisation of his book, must be highly satisfactory to them ; but there is another gentleman to whom the undoubted success of this play is in a great measure due, and although the audience do not see or hear him, they go into ecstacies over his work. I refer to the scenic artist, who modestly conceals his name, and is known to the world as " Alta " only. His pictures of Aastralian bnsh scenery are delightful, and, perhaps, no higher tribute to his brush can bo p iid

than to quote the words of a gentleman, who, on leaving the theatre the other evening, remarked that, sitting in the stalls, he " fancied he could smell the wattle blossom, so true to Nature were the scenes." " Robbery Under Arms "is a decided success, and there is little doubt that the Alexandra will draw crowded